


Our Secrets

by ErinWantsToWrite



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 14:16:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16855528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinWantsToWrite/pseuds/ErinWantsToWrite
Summary: Marinette can't possibly hide it any longer.Adrien would stand until his last breath.-In which: Both Kwamis failed to mention that after a while of crime fighting, new powers would pop up while they were civilians. While handling these strange powers and attempting to stay hidden, Hawkmoth has a new plan that destroys a long list of white lies.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Miraculous Ladybug or their characters! Lemme know what you think. :)

"White lies can only blind a fool for so long." E.P.

 

 "Marinette, don't panic."

Tikki was attempting to stall that inevitable scream of panic. Marinette however, hadn't reached that point yet. She was too busy staring at her reflection in horror, patting her hair unsurely. The silence made Tikki worry that Marinette had finally snapped, but it was finally broken with Marinette's whimpers.

"T-Tikki... my hair..."

"I'm so sorry Marinette, I didn't know that this would happen so soon for you." 

Marinette's blue hair had certainly changed. Instead of short blue pigtails, Marinette's hair was now halfway down her shoulder blades, a pitch black color, and had a giant red streak in it. Marinette looked as if she had dyed her hair and had mood swings last night. Or as if Juleka had finally gotten to her and helped her change it. But Marinette did  _not_ change her hair last night. When she had gone to bed, her hair was still blue, like her mother's. 

"You, you..  _knew_ something like this would happen to me?" Marinette turned to her little red kwami, who looked as if she was trying to think of ways to control Marinette's panic. Which she was.

"Usually, the Creation and Destruction miraculouses start...upgrading themselves to their user's preference after two years. It seems the effects have began early in this century." Tikki explained.

" _This_ is to my preference?" Marinette gestured to her hair. "Tikki I can't go to school looking as if I had an identity crisis last night!" Marinette sat down on her chair, looking at Tikki while biting at her nails. 

"Well, this is just the beginning. This effect will go away soon, but more powers will start to appear." 

"New powers?" Marinette took her nails out of her mouth, and started stroking her hair. "New powers as in what new powers exactly am I going to start getting?"

Tikki looked at the wall to gather courage, then looked at Marinette in her eyes. 

"You're civilian form will begin to change. Not usually in appearance wise. The hair stays just to let you know it's about to begin it's process. I don't know what powers you'll gain, as it's different for each user, but... you'll have a harder time keeping your identity a secret. But I'm sure you can handle it Marinette! Your so strong, you're the best user I've had!"

"Oh... Thanks Tikki. You're my uh, best Kwami ever." Marinette said. She had to let Tikki know she wasn't mad at her. "Will you help me find a hat?"

-

Marinette felt lucky that it was winter. Paris had started to cool down, and today was the perfect warm weather day. Marinette had put on a white hat, a dark blue sweater, blue jeans, and a pair of brown boots. She hoped no one took off her hat, which she had put on her head to hide a messy bun of black and red hair. Tikki hid in a small blue bag, which was warm enough to keep her from freezing in the chilly air. 

Marinette stepped into the courtyard of the school, tugging her hat down in her nerves. Tikki had explained that if  _she_ was going through this, then Chat Noir was as well. She hoped he was staying hidden like she was. She also hoped he never finds out about her hair style going nuts on her. Sometimes, she hates magic. When it did things like this, of course.

"Mari!" Alya came up from behind, startling Marinette and making her jump. Alya laughed, pulling out her phone. "Hey girl, I haven't seen you in forever!"

"I saw you yesterday, Alya." Mari giggled. 

"That  _is_ forever." Alya countered. "Oh, I like your new winter design, by the way. Very chic." Alya took a picture of Mari, who smiled awkwardly. 

"Thanks Alya." Mari shivered from the cold. Alya did too, but it didn't seem to bother her as much while she was wearing a fake fur coat. It looked warm. 

"Ugh, Marinette. Didn't anyone tell you that those boots were out of style, like, in the 50's?" Chloe's drawling voice sounded from behind them.

"Good morning, Chloe. How was your weekend? Eat any souls of the innocent?" Marinette asked. Chloe's face heated up red in anger.

"I'll eat yours if you don't shut it." Chloe growled. She stormed past Marinette and Alya, Sabrina close by at her heels. 

"Hey, let's head inside. I'm not a fan of the cold." Alya made her way inside. Marinette followed closely behind, though she had a good grip on her hat, as if she thought someone would steal it.

"Hey Marinette." Nino gave a wave. "Hey Alya." 

Alya started conversation with Nino, and Marinette stayed in her thoughts, trying to keep calm. If she acted normal, then everything would go smoothly. No one will suspect anything if she doesn't act like a doof. Or, more of a doof than usual. 

Marinette looked towards the doors, and her heart nearly gave out. Adrien was walking over and dodging Chloe. He was wearing her scarf, but he thinks it was hid dad's gift to him. Marinette never said anything, he looked so happy wearing it.

But today seemed different. He looked...sad? Marinette couldn't tell.

"Hilo-Hello Adrien." Marinette waved at him, letting a nervous smile spread across her face. 

Adrien smiled kindly to her. He wore a hat like she did, except it seemed kind of lopsided. She shook it off, because a more pressing concern came up. 

"Thanks for the scarf Marinette." Adrien said abruptly. 

"Huh? Wha?" Marinette stammered, looking at him with wide eyes. 

"The scarf." Adrien held it up from where it hung on his neck. "Thank you."

"How-whatsa- how'd you know it was from me?" Marinette managed to get out. Alya and Nino had broken away to let them have a moment. Adrien seemed kind. He smiled at her warmly, which made her stomach flutter in it's usual nonsense. He turned the scarf around, revealing Marinette's small signature on the bottom. Barely noticeable, but there.

"Sorry I didn't see it before." Adrien apologized, but Marinette shook her head.

"D-Don't apologize. I mean, you can, but I wasn't like, mad or anything." Marinette tugged on her hat again, pulling it down just to make sure.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Adrien asked, and Marinette's heart ached. He sounded a little like he was... _blaming_ himself? Marinette hated that so much. 

"When you thought your father had made it for you, I didn't want to take that happiness away. You loved thinking it was from your dad, I didn't, you know, want to correct you." Marinette looked at the ground, nervously maintaining a smile. She didn't see Adrien's reaction, but she heard him laugh. She peeked up at him, wondering if it was an 'I hate you' laugh.

He genuinely smiled at her. "You really are amazing Marinette." Those words set off her heart. She felt like it would burst out of her chest and do a Swan Lake dance for everyone here.

-

Thankfully, the cold weather had been the best excuse for her hat, and no one questioned it. She just had to act extra cold. Tikki didn't think her hair looked ugly, but Marinette wanted  _her_ hair back. 

She's also happy there haven't been any akuma attacks yet. Lunchtime had come around now, and the cafeteria was filled with chatter and complaints about the weather. But it seemed everyone was pretty happy. Marinette was the only one on edge. Chloe had gone home because the cold bothered her, so the good mood was shared collectively. 

But it first happened when Marinette went to the bathroom by herself. She came out of her stall, and her hat fell off of her head. 

Marinette hadn't seen her hand catch the hat and place it on her head, but she knew she did it. Her reflexes acted so quickly, that the air had stirred and she felt like a light breeze had blown in her. Marinette paused. "Tikki, oh my..." 

"Reflexes like that will definitely help with a lot." Tikki said from the purse, but the door opened and she hid quickly. Alya peeked in and spotted her. 

"Hey girl, class is starting." 

"Coming!"

-

Marinette really needed to fix her reflexes. She had to learn to be clumsy all day to let people think she  _didn't_ feel incredibly well coordinated and balanced. It was a weird way to live the day. 

She knew she had to go practice controlling this knew power. When Alya offered to walk home with Marinette, she had to refuse, telling Alya that she had some errands to run for her dad and that Alya should go home and start to warm up. Alya reluctantly agreed, telling Marinette to be careful.

"You too!" Marinette waved her off and round the corner. And then she let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank god."

"Marinette, where are we going?" Tiiki asked.

"I know it's cold out, but I need to practice somewhere I know no one will see me. If I can understand this new power then it'll be of use during an akuma attack." Marinette explained. "I think I have a good spot, but I don't want to head there too early in case someone is there." 

"Where is it?" Tikki peeked out from the purse as Marinette walked. Marinette answered in a whisper. 

"There's a karate dojo around here. It closes pretty early nowadays, so if I stay out a little longer and everyone goes home, I'll be able to practice without someone seeing me." Marinette sat down on a park bench, looking through her backpack. "Until then, I'll do my homework."

"Why not just go home?"

"My mom will make me take off my hat." Marinette answered. "I can't let her see me with this hair. She'll think I'm starting some teen rebellion phase and I don't want to give her a heart attack." Tikki nodded, and closed the purse so she can stay warm.

"Don't stay out in the cold too long, Marinette."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets the hang of her powers.. and breaks a broom. Hiding her new powers is a lot harder than she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY HECKARONI!! I didn't expect so many people to like this story already!? Ily guys!! Also, I was asked if there will be a reveal. Yes! No other details, but it won't be in a way you expect.

"Sometimes, the people that fight for justice are the ones who have been wronged the most." -E.P.

Marinette stood on one end of the quiet dojo, and old dusty broom was propped up on a chair on the other end. Mari felt her nerves wash over her. She hated how quiet it was. She wiped her hand on her pants leg. In the reflection of the mirror on her left, she saw her hair. The black and red stood out on the dull colors of the old building. If anyone were to see her now..

"So, how do I start?" She asked Tikki, who sat next to Marinette's purse on the ground holding a small cookie. Marinette wondered how she could eat at a time like this.

"Maybe test how fast you can run now first. Then we can test your reflexes." Tikki answered. Mari nodded, thinking.

"Okay..." Mari got ready to run, and once in position, she closed her eyes. She steadied her breath, focusing on how long the run to the broom was. It was a fairly large dojo, it was half the size of a regular gymnasium.

She opened her eyes, then pressed her foot into the ground. It was as if her powers knew what she wanted. The ground beneath Marinette's right foot started to glow a strong red color, and when she pushed off there was a release of light that felt like it was helping her push forward. In the span of three seconds she had crossed the room and had ran into the chair with a large crash. The broom snapped under her and she skidded into the wall. 

"Marinette!" Tikki yelled, speeding over to her. 

"I'm ok Tikki!" Mari yelled, feeling for bruises. "Actually.. that was freaking amazing!" She stood up, panting and a smile spread across her face. "Tikki, I've never felt such an adrenaline rush!" 

"Marinette I'm glad you like these new powers but please be careful." Tikki arrived next to Marinette and quickly started to worry over her.

Marinette giggled lightheartedly. "Don't worry Tikki, I'll be more careful." 

Now Marinette needed to perfect her.. breaking skills? But she did love this sense of adrenaline she got when using this- super speed? As she prepared to run again, she started thinking about other possibilities.

-

"Alright. I can now stop running, and I can handle different speeds." Mari caught her breath, and looked to Tikki. She had spent a few hours here practicing. "Tikki, you up to practicing some more?" 

Tikki flew over to her. "Ready Marinette!"

"Tikki, spots on!" 

Marinette was used to her old suit. So when she looked into the mirror again, she certainky looked new. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, black with the single red streak, as if to juxtapose Tikki's red appearance with a single black dot. Her suit had a lot more to it now. The black on her neck had expanded to her collar line. Soft black see through fabric framed her back like wings. Her spots dotted her suit as they always did, but now she had black boots, and her arms were also black. Her yoyo was tied around as usual. 

"Oh my god I have pockets!" Mari put her hands in her new pockets, now more excited. "So cool!" 

She turned away from the mirror. "Okay. Let's test this out." She set herself up to run, and then-

_Boom._

With a resounding boom she pushed off in a spark of red light and was on the other side of the room. She did this again, and another boom went off with a small, bright explosion of light. This time, she continued running and turning sharply as she would in a battle. 

She finally stopped next to her purse and hat. "Spots off." 

Tikki flew out of the Miraculous. Marinette was already handing her a cookie to eat. Tikki took it graciously and sat on Mari's shoulder. 

"Did you like using the power as Ladybug?"

Mari smiled. "Tikki I have pockets now!" 

Tikki giggled, but she didn't understand why that made Mari happy. She just likes seeing her holder smile like that.

 "Now, it'll be hard to hide these powers, especially during PE, Marinette. Be extremely careful!" 

"When am I not careful?" Mari put her hair into a bun, and put her hat on top of it to hide the hair. She slung her purse around her shoulder, and opened it, looking for her phone. A missed call from Alya. 

"I'm just saying Marinette. It will be hard to not use them." Tikki flew into Mari's purse. "Now call Alya back and let's go home!" She said sweetly and shut the purse behind her. The kwami must be sleepy.

Mari snuck out of the dojo (after hiding the broom) from the back, and then locked everything up for the owner. She called Alya, who picked up at the first ring. 

"Girl, did you forget about the meeting?"

Marinette blanked. Meeting? When? What?

"Huh?" She voiced her confusion out loud.

"The meeting for my Ladyblog. To find out who Ladybug and Chat Noir are so we can thank them? You know, like with Chloe's stupid party?" 

Oh. That one. She had forgetten about that. She was preoccupied with the hair and powers thing. The fact that this meeting falls on a day where her hair changed colors and some very hard to not use powers show up seems as if her life was being written out by some evil author. 

"I didn't forget! It's at six right? I'm on my way now." Marinette looked in the direction of the school, which was pretty far from where she was. She had... five minutes. The school is about ten when walking. And she doesn't want to use Ladybug..

"Well I'll start when you get here." Alya said. "Hey, bring your hat! The members wanna see your winter design." 

"M-my hat?" Mari felt the top of her head, where the soft fabric now felt like a curse. 

"Yeah, I wanna brag on you!" Alya said, proud of her friend and not aware of Mari's predicament. "See you soon! Mauh!" 

Mari heard the click of Alya hanging up. The only way to grab another hat and be on time would be to use her new power. She looked around for people or cameras. Noone and nothing. "Tikki, hold on." 

With another small boom and a bright light, she was off. It felt like everything was slow motion around her. She saw a bird going slower than she was, and she felt such a rush of good feelings. It was like she was flying in the cold evening air.

She was in and out of her house with her designs and another hat in no time, and she finally stopped on the steps to the meeting place, which was a small recreational building. She peeked through a window and saw people milling in the meeting hall, eating snacks and talking. For once, Marinette was on time. 

She stepped into the warm building, nervous. If she did come, she might get found out. If she didn't, Alya would be disappointed. She spotted her friend talking to some online blogger friends. She couldn't help but feel like Alya hadn't really learned her lesson when Ladybug told her exactly why she needed her identity kept a secret. But knowing Alya had put a very secure team together just so she can help thank the "real" Ladybug and Chat Noir... Mari was always overwhelmed by Alya's love for the superheroes.

Mari adjusted her new hat again, making sure her hair was covered. She was about to move out of the hallway, when she saw Adrien sitting uncomfortably on a chair at the table. Nino was next to him, talking Alya from across the room about some cookies that went missing. Adrien adjusts his hat when Marinette does, and they meet eyes. She gives an awkward smile, and Adrien smiles brightly back, happy to see her. Marinette walks shyly over, sitting at the table on the other side of Adrien.

"Nice to see you Marinette. You're earlier than usual- I mean not to be rude! I-uh-" Adrien's usual cool demeanor turned nervous. Marinette stared at him, confused.

"Ah! Marinette you're here!" Alya came over, hugging Mari's neck. Mari smiled and Alya let go, heading towards a covered stand. "The meeting can start now." 

Alya's friends sat down also, their conversations dying down. They all looked like typical bloggers, but with determined faces. They also all looked at Alya like she held the universe in her hands. Alya had a very proud smirk on her face, and held onto the large blanket on the stand, looking out on the bloggers and her friends in a superhero pose. 

"I know where they go to school."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien really needs to learn better excuses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY BUT THAT MARICHAT LEAK THO!!!  
> .  
> .  
> This is set before the first episode of season 3 and will continue through it, but Erin style~

"You don't get to choose who you love, you only choose to hate." -E.P.

"I know where they go to school." 

Adrien tensed, already flustered. 

"How'd you figure that out!?" Nino stared in awe at Alya. Alya smirked, her glasses flashing in the light. 

"It's obvious isn't it?" Alya scoffed. "They know a lot of our classmates names, they almost always show up within a minute of akuma attacks. The only plausible explanation for both of those is if they go to the same school that we do." 

The table started to murmur. Adrien looked to his side and saw Marinette seemed nervous. Adrien felt his tail twitch.

Yeah, Adrien woke up this morning with straight black hair, cat ears, and a tail. He had told his father and the usual entourage of people that he had to catch up with some studies that would take all day. This meeting sure helped, Nino said it was a study group. He needs to avoid modeling for as long as this effect lasts. 

But everytime he has a single thought this stupid tail twitches under his large sweater. He hated this a lot. Plagg wasn't of much use, the only thing he said was that Ladybug was going through upgrades also. He had wondered what powers Ladybug got. 

"Well, now it's all up to getting them to trust us. We all signed the contract here, so if their identities are revealed to anyone but this group because of a member, or their identities are used against them in any way, the loyal members of this group will-" 

"Yes Alya, we understand. We just want to thank Ladybug and ChatNoir personally. Help them out when they need it." 

Adrien recognized the girl that spoke. He and Ladybug had rescued her during an akuma attack. A crumbling building almost fell on top of her and her little brother, and Ladybug had shot through the falling bricks and support beams and saved them both. ChatNoir had made sure they got to an ambulance and even visited them while at the hospital to check on them for Ladybug and himself. 

 She sat confidently, and with admiration twinkling in her eyes. "When she saved Monio and I, I knew I needed to thank them personally. We've all had similar experiences." She looked to the others. "Maybe we should get to know each other better, huh Alya?" 

Alya grinned. "Brilliant, Jane!" She sat down next to Marinette. Adrien quickly started thinking through everything in his head. 

"I'll start!" A girl stood up on the other side of the table, a few chairs down from Adrien. "My name is Holly." She looked familiar. "ChatNoir saved my life a few months ago when an Akuma victim crashed the bridge I was on. I want to find him so I can thank him." 

As they went down the table, Adrien felt himself calm down more and more, and was filled with admiration for these people. They all had a spark of determination to help Ladybug and ChatNoir as thr superheros had helped them. Adrien felt such a warm feeling of happiness.

Alya stood up now as it was her turn. "Ladybug trusted me to help her many times. I haven't told anyone outside of Nino, but I am Rena Rouge. I want to thank her for this trust."

Adrien felt Mari's arm brush his as she moved in her seat. She seemed uncomfortable with this. It was her turn next. She stood up, and stammered out "Hi, I'm Ma-Marinette. I've only met LadyBug once to get Alya an interview with her. But ChatNoir saved me when I was the target of an akuma once. I'd like to thank him for a lot of things." Mari sat down, playing with the ends of her sweater sleeves. 

Adrien felt his face get warm, but he didn't show it. Mari thought highly of ChatNoir..? Adrien stood up, and relaxed. 

"Hi I'm Adrien. Nice to meet you all. Uh, Ladybug's saved me a few times. She's pretty awesome, she should know that." Adrien thus sat down. 

When all 10 people were done, Alya stood up once again. "Now, we need to need to narrow down people that could be them." She began to walk towards the covered stand. Here, there are silhouettes of our classmates compared to LadyBug and ChatNoir's." She ripped off the cloth, and Adrien saw several people that Alya had narrowed down. He felt slightly creeped out by her attention to detail. 

Then he saw his silhouette in one of the pictures. He became very flustered, thinking of ways to hide his identity from these nosy- and admirable-bloggers. 

He spied out of the corner of his eye that Alya was keeping a close watch on him. He once again attempted to hide what he was thinking, but Alya caught it.

Or he thought she did.

"Marinette, can I see your new winter designs while we're waiting for everyone to view the pictures?" Alya stood next to Marinette's chair. Marinette looked like she was trying not to freak out. Adrien wondered why, considering she always had great designs. 

"Yeah sure sure." Marinette took out a sketchbook from her bag and the hat she was wearing earlier. Some of the bloggers who had finished looking through the pictures came over, all excited to see the designs. "Uh, I wanted to go with something different this year.." 

But Adrien was distracted. He felt the top of his head, and suddenly, no cat ears. He felt a sigh of relief when there wasn't a cat tail twitching under his sweater. This must mean the upgrades are done. Adrien hadn't figured out his power yet, nor has he looked at his new suit. He remembered Plagg telling him that his hair would now change colors when he transformed so as to hide his identity better and the same with LadyBug. 

"Mari, can you model some hats for us?" Alya was picking up hats. And Mari backed away, holding her hat on her head very tightly. Adrien narrowed his eyes, watching Mari grip her hat like a lifeline.

"I-I'm not a model.." Mari stammered. Adrien's heart fluttered, and- whoa wait a second-

Adrien felt himself turn red, this time he  _knew_ it'd be visible. He stuffed his head into his jacket for a second, and swiftly walked towards the photos. When he looked at Mari, his heart felt like it pulled towards her. He shook his head. He had only ever had that feeling with LadyBug. But she looked so pretty..

No. She's just a friend.

Adrien side glanced towards Marinette again, who was fitting the white hat to Alya's head, and smiling brightly under the warm lights of the room. When someone complimented her handiwork, she would smile in a humble way. 

"Okay okay, I think we're all done looking at the photos." Alya looked to Adrien in a subtle not subtle way, and Adrien smiled back awkwardly. 

Before Alya could continue the meeting, the ground shook and the walls reverberated. A flash of white light appeared from a few blocks away that hit everyone's eyes harshly. Adrien saw Alya picking up her things. 

"Everyone stay here and stay safe, I'll come back!" And Alya was out of thr building and running down the street towards the lights. Marinette ran after her, and Nino considered it, but Adrien stepped in.

"I'll keep those two safe, you stay here and keep people inside." And with that, Adrien ran out into the freezing cold, his heart racing with thoughts. He distanced himself from the building, and dodged into an alley, his breath fogging around him. The night sky was dark with clouds. "Plagg, Claws Out!" 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette didn't feel that way for ChatNoir before this... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez I love you guys omg!!! Everytime I get a comment saying "omg I love this!!!" My heart SOARS. <3

"The first time you lock eyes with cupid, he'll give you a kiss, and then kick your shins." -E.P.

 Marinette couldn't find a spot to transform. She would use her speed to find a place, but there were too many people around to do so. She began to direct people off of the streets and towards safe spaces. There was a panic in the air, as the lights from the akuma victim's powers cut through the night. Marinette evacuated the last of the people, her breath forming in clouds around her. She hoped Alya was safe. She didn't see where she went in the chaos.

 _Boom_. Marinette had no time to react, when the ground shook violently and a strong wind whipped her hat off of her and she felt her body get pushed towards a building. Her stomach jolted in panic and she closed her eyes in a moment of fear, but instead of concrete she felt a warm pair of arms catch her and the person that caught her grunted as he slammed into the building. Marinette felt the wind die away, and she looked up. 

"ChatNoir! Are you okay?" Mari held onto him, checking for injuries. She pulled her hands away from his chest and to his face, looking for bruises, worry over her face. ChatNoir smiled, and scooped Mari up bridal style, stood up carefully, and smiled.

"I'm okay Marinette. Are you?" 

Mari nodded, and looked into Chat's eyes now, assessing his injuries as minor. Piercing green eyes stared back at her, and they watched her face intently. "Yeah, I'm fine." She looked at him more, surprised. His hair was jet black, but still messy. His eyes seemed to stare right into her soul, just like a cat in the still of night.

Chat set her down on her feet carefully, and winked at her, and pretty smile flashing on his face. "You should evacuate too, Marinette." 

"I will." Mari noticed he didn't step away from her, maybe even noticing he leaned towards her. "You go save Paris.. and stuff." She grinned awkwardly. She reached up almost instinctively to pull down her hat, but she only felt hair. Her heart skipped a beat, but ChatNoir made no inference to a different .."wild style" hairstyle.

"Stay safe, Chaton." Chat winked, then headed towards the fight. 

Marinette blushed profusely. "Chaton? I- you stupid cat!" She heard his laugh echo through the quiet streets. She was finally alone enough to transform, the cold biting at her blushinng cheeks. 

She looked into an empty store window, and was surprised to see her hair was her normal blue. She smiled at her reflection, happy to be normal again. She slipped into an alleyway.

"Tikki! Spots on!"

-

Marinette hopped over buildings, rushing towards the danger. She spotted ChatNoir taunting the akuma victim, dodging around the attacks of light. She watched ChatNoir dart again, and suddenly, where he stood, a black hole scooped him from where he stood. But he popped out a few feet behind the akuma victim, and pinned him down. That must be his new power. She felt a surge of pride for him. That was so  _cool._

Assessing the situation, she decided to use a lucky charm. In a brilliant sparkle, something plopped down into her hands. A pair of scissors. She looked down into the street, as ChatNoir dodged attack after attack. Finally, he pinned down the akuma and she had a clear shot of the akuma, which was a small bottle of glitter. Every time ChatNoir grabbed the glitter, it released another wave of light and wind. The akuma victim just watched and laughed.

She looked around the street, and eyed some cloth flitting around in the wind from the attacks next to her on the building. She grabbed it, usuing the scissors to cut out a handsized cloth bag.

Marinette turned to the action, and pushed off on the edge of a building with her foot, and with a burst of light and a thunderous boom she was speeding towards the victim, wings spread and steering her. She snatched it up the glitter bottle in the bag, skidding to a stop in the dusty road, and broke apart the akumatized object.

"My Lady!" ChatNoir watched her with awe, as she released the butterfly, and watched it fly off into the sky. She turned to ChatNoir, and started apologizing.

"I'm so sorry I'm late Chat!" She grabbed her lucky charm scissors, and threw them into the air. Warm wind carried the red light, which was fixing everything the akuma broke apart.

"No worries LadyBug. I trust you." Chat smiled, which was warm in the cold weather. "I like the new upgrades. The hair suits you purrfectly." He joked, and mocked his hands as a camera. He made a clicking noise, and acted out looking at a picture. She rolled her eyes playfully.

"Silly Kitty~ You know, your upgrades are pretty amazing, Chat." They were, in fact amazing.

His leather suit was even darker than before, and felt like she was staring at stealth itself. His mask had small details, much like cat fur but not reaching it. His bell still jingled from his collar, and his belt tail was longer, and whipped around as he thought. He had bigger pockets, and his staff was sleek black, with green claw prints. And his hair... his hair was jet black at the roots, but tied in the gold at the ends that matched his little bell. She had a better look at the details in the light now.

"I have to go now, LadyBug. But hopefully I'll see you again soon." He gave her another warm smile, and she watched him disappear into shadows. She felt her heart beat pick up, and her cheeks flushed red. 

She ignored that.

-

Marinette stepped into the warm bakery, desert and bread smells washing over her. Her shoulders relaxed immediately. She felt extremely tired from the course of the day. The stress of school, a freaky hairdo, new powers, the LB and CN group, fighting an akuma, bringing the victim to an ambulance to get them home, and then avoiding reporters who want to know all about her new suit. Throwing in a "next time!" 

Once she was comfortable in some soft pajamas, she sat in her chair, looking in her mirror. Her hair was back, and she liked it that way. Tikki had fallen asleep on Mari's desk, and was snoring softly. Mari smiled at her kwami. The house was quiet, almost as if she were home alone. She quietly grabbed her jacket, wrapping herself in it. She went up her steps, and lifted herself onto her balcony.

She sat down on the far end, leaning on the bars and watching the sky. Clouds danced across the miles of sky, and Mari could see it was going to clear up soon. She sighed, watching the white smoke drift in the air. She smiled, and closed her eyes.

She let her mind wander to the LB and CN group. She wondered how long she'd be able to keep her identity a secret from them. She knew they meant well... but no one could help their feelings. If one of them got akumatized, and they knew her identity, her parents could be at risk, her friends also, not just her. The same went for ChatNoir. A lot of people could get hurt.

Though, that doesn't mean she's never wanted to tell her friends. She has so much on her plate, and it gets her into trouble when other people don't know the the truth about why she's absent so much. 

Maybe one day.

"You're out late, Marinette."

Mari jumped out of her skin with panic, and hit her head on the balcony bars. 

"Ouch!" 

She rubbed the back of her head, and looked up to see ChatNoir sitting in front of her. He didn't say anything, he just looked worried as her reached to hold her head to see where she hit it. 

"ChatNoir? What are you doing here so late?" 

"I came to check up on you." He stated. She peeked up at him through her bangs. "Your head looks okay. Sorry I scared you."

She looked up at him, shaking her head. "It's fine, don't worry. I hit my head a lot. I'm very clumsy." She laughed awkwardly, holding the back of her neck. "Thank you for checking on me. Are you okay?" 

ChatNoir sat down and crossed his legs. "I'm great, don't worry about me." He winked at her playfully. Mari felt warm depsite the cold.

"Well, Chat, you're new look suits you." She held up her fingers like a camera, and mocked taking a picture of him like he had done for Ladybug earlier that evening. "Click!" She looked up from her finger camera to him, smiling. "That's a keeper." 

ChatNoir grinned, his face was illuminated by the string lights Mari had put up on her balcony. 

"So why are you up this late?" ChatNoir asked, watching her face. Mari sighed, shrugging her shoulders. 

"I guess I have a lot on my mind." Marinette leaned back onto the bars again. 

"Like that boy you love?" ChatNoir smirked, and Mari groaned. "Can I have an update on that? Any progress with him?" 

Mari blushed, and crossed her arms, though she didn't try to cover up her pain. "Not really. I mean.. I kissed him on the cheek but... I don't think he'll ever see me as anything but a friend." Mari shrugged again. "As much as I love him, I'm pretty sure he loves someone else." 

ChatNoir scanned her face intently. Marinette was dying to know what he was thinking. 

"Marinette, do you want to go somewhere?" 

"What do you mean? Go where?" Mari watched ChatNoir's ears twitch, and his tail whipped around in thought.

"Well, there's this garden open twenty four seven. But no one really goes at night. I used to go there when I felt sad. Watching the fireflies is nice." Mari watched ChatNoir smile at the thought. 

"Well.. let me get changed. I can't go around in pajamas." She laughed.

ChatNoir chuckled, helping Mari stand. "I'll see you in a moment... Chaton." 

"Stop calling me that!" Mari blushed, sticking her tongue out at him as she climbed down to her room. The warm air in the building made her skin tingle as it warmed up.

She made sure ChatNoir couldn't see, and woke Tikki up gently. She put a finger to her lips.

"I'm going somewhere with ChatNoir, be very quiet. You can sleep in my bag while we're out. I'll bring the warm bag." She whispered. Tikki simply nodded, and floated her way to the warm bag as Mari dressed quietly so as not to wake her parents.

She picked up her purse when she was done, and climbed back to the balcony. Her hair was loose from the usual pigtails, and she had her best warm coat on. She also brought up a bag, which had ChatNoir's name on it.

"I was saving this for when you came back. I was going to give it to you on Heroe's Day.. but that didn't happen. But still, here." 

Mari handed the bag to ChatNoir, who seemed baffled that Mari would give him a gift. He opened it to find a ChatNoir themed winter jacket. 

"Well, I didn't know exactly if your suits automatically warmed you both while you fought crime and stuff, so I uh.. made a jacket that you could wear to warm yourself and still fight in." Mari tugged on the bottom of her jacket sleeves. "It isn't really that good and you don't have to we-"

"I love it." 

Mari peeked a ChatNoir. He was beaming in happiness, tears of joy in his eyes. She held in a giggle, but couldn't help herself.

"Really?" Mari adjusted the jacket. "You don't think it's too tacky?"

"I think it's amazing. You really outdid yourself with this design." ChatNoir smiled fashionably, posing in the light. "You got my aesthetic down perfectly." 

Mari laughed as he posed. It was so easy to talk to him, even as just Marinette. As LadyBug, she spends a lot of time with him.. but as Mari she sees him more. 

ChatNoir did a spin in his jacket, then turned to face Mari, placing a hand on her hip modestly and then scooping her up in his arms. Marinette held on tightly to him, and he smiled down at her.

"Hold on tight." 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien thinks and thinks and thinks and oh no..

"Ok. Well, Ladybug and ChatNoir got new powers and now their hair has changed and their suits, so my silhouette idea won't work so well anymore. But..."

Adrien was zoned off into space, pretending to listen to Alya at the head of the table. But really, he was thinking about other things.. things that made him question a lot of what he's used to thinking. Like how Marinette's laugh makes him think that Mozart, Bach, and other composers had never heard something so beautiful or they would have tried and failed to write it into every song they'd ever written. And how smart, and capable, and accomplished, and talented.. and amazing and strong Marinette was.

He thought about how he'd never realized that before.. before she kissed his cheek and he had gone home feeling a little dazed. She had been so close and had smelled like pastry desserts and mint and her hands were so warm. Was Marinette really just a friend to him?

He'd only ever thought if Ladybug that way, but after she'd rejected him for the umpteenth time, he tried to think of Kagami that way, and it didn't work out. He always assumed Marinette only wanted to be his friend. But after last night, he couldn't deny it anymore. 

When they had left her house, he brought her to a garden home, which was a walk in 24/7 open business that had flowers running up and down walls and water pools that sparkled in the garden lights and buzzed with life and beauty even in the winter air. But everys single light and flower was dull compared to when she smiled at him. 

In truth, ChatNoir took her there because she looked so sad when talking about that boy.

That boy she loved... even though he loves someone else. That boy is an idiot.

"Hey Marinette? Didn't you say ChatNoir saved you once when you were targeted by an akuma?" 

Adrien was interested in this conversation.

Marinette smiled awkwardly at her hands. The group was encouraging her to talk more  but Adrien felt like they think she wasn't completely honest about her relationship with ChatNoir. Adrien knew she wasn't, because he basically took her on a date last night to cheer her up. Or maybe she thinks he does that with a lot of people. He'll tell her he doesn't later. She should know she's special. Or maybe he won't, since that'd be embarrassing...

"Ah, oh uh.. well a classmate had a crush on me, and it got exposed by Chloé, but when he got akumatized he asked me to his birthday party. I told him I would go if he promised not to hurt Chloé. ChatNoir asked me to help him with getting Nathaneäl deakumatized." 

"Girl you never told me that!" Alya was beaming. 

"Ah, well I guess I was a bit distracted. ChatNoir and all. It was just one time though, so I don't know much about him. Haha." 

What a bold faced lie. Adrien smiled a bit knowingly, then leaned back in his chair to hide it. ChatNoir takes Marinette places to make her happy. So she just lied to everyone about that.

And someone caught her on it.

"But weren't you with him last night, Marinette?" 

The table blanked- then Marinette answered.

"What do you mean?" Her tone was innocent, but Adrien could see her eyes panicking.

"You were at La Vie En Rose with him yesterday night. I was leaving there with my girlfriend when you I saw you push him into the fountain and laugh at him." 

"You know ChatNoir like that and you don't think that's important info? Mari!" Alya blanched, never at a loss for words. "Do you know his secret identity? Are you- are you dating him!?"

Adrien turned red at the thought, and as did Mari. 

"No! No no! It's nothing like that! He brought me there last night because he likes to check up on me!" She was bright red and looked like this conversation was making her uncomfortable. 

"How many times has he checked up on you?" Allison from the KittyCatcher blog asked, the other bloggers watching intently also. 

"..." Mari's face was bright red. How many times has ChatNoir been to her house? Adrien thought in his head. He counted.. and..

"Uh... well- uh- ah- he r-really likes the croissants my Dad makes- he's not uh- well I don't think he gets to eat them often- and uh- he..." Mari's voice shrunk as she went on. She's losing this battle. Alya seemed appalled.

"Nathaneäl got akumatized like, months ago, Mari. Are you trying to say he's been to your house since then?" 

 "Umm, it wasn't since then.. it was when André got akumatized as Glaciator.." Mari scratched the back of her neck. "We bonded a bit I guess and then he started stopping by whenever he could.." 

"Mari... do you know who he is?" Nino pressed, watching her just as the rest of everyone was. Except Adrien was nervous. As far as he knew, she didn't know.

"Of course I don't. Because I don't think we need to know their identities to be grateful to them. Sure, there would be upsides to knowing how to help them because of who they are, but that could also put us in danger, them, and their families and friends. Hawkmoth could hurt a lot of people that way. I'm grateful to ChatNoir and Ladybug just as much as everyone else. But I can let him and her know that by being there for when they need me." Marinette's confidence boosted when she started to speak her mind.

She must really care about ChatNoir.

The thought of it made his head spin. Mari cared about him that much. 

"Okay, but like- do you Like ChatNoir?" Allison asked. 

"He's my frie-"

"You know what I meant." Allison smirked teasingly. "You're telling me the alley cat coming to your house every night to eat your food doesn't Like you like that?" She raised an eyebrow. Adrien was sure his blush was warm enough to burn the table. No, no ChatNoir loved Ladybug...

But ChatNoir knows Ladybug still doesn't love him. He peeked up at Marinette, who was blushing maybe more than he was.

"I-I do not like Chat Noir that way." She hid her face away from Adrien, who felt his stomach sink a bit. 

"Okay, but I think we should use this aa an advantage. I know you don't want to find out their identities, Mari, but I want to help them every way I can." Alya smiled at Mari, who nodded back. Adrien looked away from Mari, and caught Nink giving him a curious stare.

"What?" He whispered. Nino chuckled, shaking his head.

"Well, when the subject of Marinette dating some other guy came up.. that's the only time this entire meeting that you weren't staring off. Makes me think that Mari might be more than a friend to you right now." 

Adrien lightly punched Nino's arm, who snickered and adjusted his hat. "Whatever." He pouted a small bit, before glancing up to Mari, who was touching her cheeks as if she were trying to see how bad her blushing must be right now.

-

 Adrien was helping Alya and Nino and Mari pack up tables for the rec center. Alya and Nino had to grab some of the chairs to bring them down the hall while he helped Mari with pushing Alya's conspiracy board down to compact it. 

He nervously watched Mari, who was blushing a bit. Maybe from earlier? 

"It must be cool knowing ChatNoir." Adrien strikes up a conversation, hoping Mari wouldn't say anything about hating ChatNoir.

Mari looked at Adrien with wide eyes, then smiled. "Will-well he is pra-pratty-pretty cool." She stammered. Adrien smiled, wanting to laugh but didn't. Her stammering was adorable, but why is she so confident around everyone but him? Does she not like him as much? Well.. her actions say otherwise.

"Pretty cool?" Adrien inquired. Mari fiddled with the board latches, but he could see her smile as she thought.

"He likes to-to check up on my-me. He just drops by to tell me sta-stories." Mari looked at Adrien, and Adrien felt his heart constrict. When she looked at him, it was as if everything was alright. 

"W-what kind of stories does he tell?" Adrien helps Mari finally put the board down to its portable shape. 

Marinette, distracted by telling him about ChatNoir, managed a full sentence. 

"Well, one story he told me was about a Princess that fell in love with a Prince from another land. The Prince fell in love with her too, and every night they'd meet on the bridge that separated their kingdoms and would watch the stars and make a wish to marry each other when they got older. The Prince's kingdom was full of riches and he gave her a necklace that he payed a mage to fill with a bit of the stars from the sky they loved. Her kingdom wasn't as full of riches, so she promised him that she'd love him even if he broke her heart. The Prince vowed that if he ever broke her heart, he'd repay her a thousand times over." Marinette looked outside to the sky, which twinkled back at her not nearly as brightly as she did. 

"That's a beautiful story." He said, and remembered when he told her that story. He thought he was telling that story about Ladbug.. 

"It is. I wish someone could tell vow to never break my heart so surely as the Prince could." Adrien was mezmerized. Why is he suddenly feeling like this? Did a simple kiss on the cheek do this? Or was it from spending so much time as ChatNoir with her? His head hurt a lot from thinking about it.

"Marinette! It's time to go." Alya said from across the room. Adrien turned to see her, and she was grinning as if she knew something he didn't. She does that a lot, but Adrien got tired of trying to figure out what she knows.

"Uh, actually, I have to go grab some things for those designs I showed you earlier. I'll see you tomorrow." She waved Alya goodbye, and Adrien handed Alya her board. 

"Hey Agreste, make sure she gets home safely, will you?" She smiled, then dragged Nino out the door.

Adrien looked to Marinette, who gave him a shy smile. 

"I'll be okay, I'm sure your Dad wouldn't be too thrilled about you leaving the rec center." Marinette adjusted her bag on her shoulder. Adrien felt a surge of confidence.

"No way are you walking the streets of Paris by yourself at night, Marinette. What kind of gentleman would I be?" Adrien held out his arm for her to take, but remembered that his relationship with Mari wasn't as touchy as it was as ChatNoir. Before he could change his mind, Marinette had grabbed his arm gently, biting her lip and looking away.

Adrien blushed but covered it up quickly. "Lets grab something to eat after we get your things. You must be hungry."

Adrien felt like his heart was going to run out of his chest. 

He wasn't the only one. Marinette's face was on fire and her heart was threatening to give out on her. 

-

The streets weren't as busy as usual that night. Adrien had taken her to get her sewing supplies, and then to grab some coffee and some apple pie, then they separated ways as her house was down the street from the apple pie place. 

To make sure she got home safely, he watched her until she was inside the bakery. He went to turn away but caught her, through the window, doing a happy dance. He laughed, feeling like he always did when he hung out with Marinette. Happy. 

He finally looked away, and began to find a place to transform. Adrien snuck out of his house to go to the meeting, as there was no way his father would continue letting him go to a "study" group when he had a "perfectly fine tutor" at home.

He found a small corner hidden in the leaves, and looked for cameras. Satisfied, he let Plagg fly out of his jacket, the little kwami letting out a yawn.

"Adrieeeeeenn, why are we out so late? Don't you all have school tomorrow? Or are we skipping tomorrow? Ohhh are we skipping?" Plagg floated to Adrien's face, who gave him a joking glare.

"We're heading home now. I just took Marinette home." Adrien dug into his pocket, and pulled out a single small, familiar case. "And made a pit stop to get you some cheese." 

"Yes!" Plagg cheered, ready. "Lets get home so I can have that sweet sweet cheese."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to update, I'm really busy with AP classes and Chemistry.. thanks for understanding and your patience! Love you all and hope you enjoyed~


End file.
